1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a poultice, and more particularly to a poultice capable of rapidly curing an affected part of a patient's body and of enhancing a curative value by increasing an infiltration efficiency of medicine into a hypodermic tissue of the affected part with the aid of a low-frequency electrotherapy
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a poultice is used for curing pains such as a bruise, a muscular pain, an articular disease or neuralgia by simply attaching it on an affected part of a patient's body. The poultice has a compress sheet made of flexible woven stuff. One surface of the compress sheet is coated with skin-adhesive medicine and is covered with a flexible thin film of vinyl. The thin film can be detached from the compress sheet at the time that the patient attaches the poultice on the affected part of the patient's body.
When the patient wants to use the poultice as described above, the patient separates the thin film from the compress sheet first. Under this state, the patient attaches the one surface of the compress sheet, which is coated with skin-adhesive medicine, on the affected part of the patient's body. Then, the patient maintains the state that the compress sheet is attached to the affected part, during a predetermined time period. As a result, it is possible to cure the affected part of the patient's body due to infiltration and curative action of the medicine.
Since the poultice as described above cures the affected part of the patient's body only by the medical action of the medicine which is coated on the one surface of the compress sheet, the curative value is low and the infiltration property of the medicine gradually deteriorates as time goes by. Therefore, it is necessary that the patient replace the worn poultice with a new poultice after a lapse of certain hours. If much time has passed after the patient attached the poultice to the affected part, the poultice closes skin pores of the patient's body at its attaching position when the effect of the medicine disappears. As a result, the patient feels itchy. Further, if the patient uses the poultice as described above in order to cure the affected part of the patient's body, it is impossible to ascertain the time within which almost all of the medicine in the poultice is absorbed.
Meanwhile, in hospitals and the like, there are often used a variety of physical therapies for enhancing the curative value to the affected part of the patient's body. Among the physical therapies, a method of medical treatment not employing any poultice, but employing an apparatus for generating low-frequency energy, has been proposed. According to this method, the apparatus is brought into contact with the affected part of the patient's body under the state that a predetermined medicine is applied to the affected part of the patient's body. However, in this case, the cost of treatment is increased due to use of the expensive apparatus and thereby the patient must bear a heavy burden. Further, if the patient uses the method as described above in order to cure the affected part of the patient's body, it is impossible for the patient to treat himself.
Alternatively, a spray gun-type medicine sprayer having the same curing function as that of the poultice has been proposed. This medicine sprayer contains a liquefied medicine. However, if a patient wants to use this spray gun-type medicine sprayer in order to cure an affected part of the patient's body, the patient must press a button for spraying the liquefied medicine so that the medicine is ejected on to the affected part. Therefore, it is inconvenient to use the spray gun-type medicine sprayer. Further, the duration of the curative efficacy of the liquefied medicine in the spray gun-type medicine sprayer is shorter than that of the curative efficacy of the medicine in the poultice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,246, issued to Tetsuya Korenaga on Jun. 30, 1987, discloses a low-frequency electrotherapy apparatus which can be applied to an affected part of a patient's body in a single fitting. Tetsuya Korenaga's low-frequency electrotherapy apparatus includes a main part and a fitting unit electrically connected to the main part through a cable. The fitting unit mainly includes a mounting substrate, a heater, a treating director and a wet pack. The wet pack is wetted by warm or hot water and is secured to the underside of the heater.
In the low-frequency electrotherapy apparatus as described above, the main part of the electrotherapy apparatus is operated such that electric current flows between two electrodes, which are disposed on a diagonal line of the fitting unit, under the state that the electro therapy pack is placed on the affected part of the patient's body. At this time, electric current is supplied from one electrode to the wet pack. Thereby, low-frequency energy is applied to the affected part of the patient's body and stimulates the affected part so that the metabolism of living cells is promoted. As a result, the affected part of the patient's body is cured.
Since the structure of the Tetsuya Korenaga's low-frequency electrotherapy apparatus is complicated, it is difficult to operate this apparatus. Further, since the main part and the fitting unit are connected with each other through the cable, it is inconvenient to use the apparatus.